Daud
Daud, renowned as "The Knife of Dunwall," is the leader of a group of assassins known as the Whalers that operate in Dunwall, and is responsible for the death of Empress Jessamine Kaldwin and the kidnapping of her daughter, Emily. Daud is one of the main antagonists and targets in Dishonored, and the protagonist in two of the game's DLCs, The Knife of Dunwall and The Brigmore Witches. Biography Little is known about Daud's early life. Though his mother is rumored to have come from an island off the Pandyssian Continent, Daud, like Corvo, hails from Serkonos. In a journal detailing different manifestations of magic, Daud notes that, contrary to rumors that his mother was a witch marked by the Outsider, she was simply proficient in the use of poisons and hallucinogens, and ruthless in their administration. The Heart reveals that at some point in his childhood, Daud's natural abilities caught the attention of a mysterious actor, which eventually led to his abduction. The book Rumors and Sighting: Daud suggests that at some point between this period and the events of Dishonored, Daud came to Dunwall and began to make a name for himself, "moving among the shop keepers and City Watch Officers of Dunwall like a reaper through wheat." The book suggests that Daud subsequently traveled the Isles seeking Outsider Shrines, which Daud himself confirms upon meeting Corvo. It is rumored that during this time, he spent a winter at the Academy of Natural Philosophy, though there is no additional information to support this assertion. Also at one point in his life, natural philosopher Anton Sokolov painted his portrait, which would later end in the possession of the art dealer Bunting. Marked by the Outsider After visiting various shrines around the Isles, Daud became infamous as an assassin, feared not only for his skill, but also for his magic powers. One of the eight individuals gifted with the Outsider's Mark, his known powers are Blink (referred to as "transversals"), Bend Time, Summon Assassin, Pull (referred to as "tethering"), and resistance to poisons (including Corvo's sleep darts). Another power, known as Arcane Bond, gives him the ability to grant lesser versions of his magic to others, which he utilizes in regard to his assassin followers. Daud used these powers to establish himself and the Whalers as assassins for hire to the elite of Dunwall. (During this period, he met his eventual second-in-command Billie Lurk, then a street urchin with an affinity for the trade.Meeting Daud) Their repute in the underworld of Dunwall caught the attention of Hiram Burrows, who made use of their services a number of times in his capacity as Royal Spymaster. Eventually, he hired Daud and his assassins to assassinate the Empress and kidnap her daughter, which Daud regarded as like any other assassination contract. Despite the Outsider's initial favor for Daud, a rift developed between the two sometime before the events of Dishonored. The Outsider himself notes that he lost interest in Daud prior to the assassination of the Empress, and interacts with Daud in a hostile and derisive manner throughout The Knife of Dunwall. ''Dishonored'': Returning Home Being assured by Burrows of a moment when the Empress and her daughter Emily would be left alone at the gazebo, Daud and three of his assassins accessed Dunwall Tower through the Waterlock and made their way towards their targets. Little did both the Royal Spymaster and the assassins knew was that the Royal Protector Corvo Attano was returning earlier from his journey around the Empire, and precisely the day of the assassination plan. Corvo fought back two of the Whalers by himself, but a third one immobilized him above ground while Daud killed the Empress and grabbed Emily before disappearing. According to his agreement with Burrows, Daud delivered the imperial heir to the Pendleton twins, Custis and Morgan, but threatened him for a better price since the presence of Corvo was not part of their plans. ''The Knife of Dunwall'' Six month after carrying out the assassination of the Empress and delivering Emily to Burrows' agents, Daud is wracked with guilt over the act, a feeling which the Outsider reinforces. Appearing to Daud after the assassination, the Outsider provides him with "one last gift" so that he may alter coming events: the name Delilah. Unable to abide a mystery by his own admittance,Daud's Journal: Delilah Copperspoon Daud begins to investigate the significance of the name. The conclusion of this story is affected by the chaos Daud inflicts over the course of his search, similar to how Corvo's actions affect the conclusion of Dishonored. With the help of Billie Lurk, Daud discovers the whaling trawler Delilah at the Rothwild Slaughterhouse, currently owned by Bundry Rothwild, a ruthless captain of industry. His investigation at Slaughterhouse Row eventually directs him to the original owner of the ship, the City Barrister of Dunwall Arnold Timsh, while learning that he named the trawler after his former lover, a painter by the name of Delilah Copperspoon, but also that he sold it in fear of her. From this lead he learned more about Delilah, how she used to be a baker's apprentice in Dunwall Tower and later on a painter in Sokolov's circle. In order to gather more information about this mysterious figure, Daud travels to the Legal District where the Timsh Estate is located, and meets with the barrister's niece Thalia. She asks him to get rid of her uncle and recover his last will and testament in exchange of her informations about Delilah. Once the job is done, she tells Daud about the strange relation between Arnold Timsh and Delilah, how she bewitched and scared him. Her revelations also make him discover that Delilah took an interest in him long before he ever heard of her, learning, for instance, that Arnold Timsh and his niece saw Delilah painting his name across a canvas during a spiritual seance at the Boyle Estate, standing in the old Brigmore Manor far away. Daud can also confront Delilah through her possessed statue on the last floor of Timsh Estate, where she refuses to tell him more about her other than her childhood relation with Jessamine Kaldwin during her time in Dunwall Tower, but warns him (out of her "sisters'" past admiration towards him) to stay away from her and her plans. As he returns to his hideout in the Flooded District, Daud discovers the base overtaken by a group of Overseers, and some of his remaining men captive. After pushing back the Overseers' forces back by dealing with their captain Leonard Hume and freeing his assassins, Daud learns that he was betrayed by his right hand Billie Lurk, who saw his regret over the Empress' assassination as weakness and plotted to take his place. Working in conjunction with Delilah, they brought the Overseers to the Flooded District and arranged for Billie to kill Daud herself. In low chaos, Billie will appear before Daud to take the order of dealing with the remaining Overseers. After this, she will confess to him her plans to take over the Whalers after killing him, but renounces as she realized he did not change as she thought, and offers him the decision to execute her or spare her life. Delilah appears in person to taunt Billie over her failure, and gives a final warning to Daud that the Brigmore Witches will be his end. In high chaos, Billie will only appear after the remaining Overseers have been seized, and apologize for her delay. Delilah will appear to taunt Daud, which prompts Billie to duel him for leadership of the Whalers. After defeating her, Daud can either kill or spare her. Daud's decision in either case affects the Outsider's final opinion and narration as the story closes. ''The Brigmore Witches'' Following Billie's betrayal (which affected him deeplyThomas’ Journal) and the removal of the Overseers from the Flooded District, Daud discovers the location of Delilah, now revealed to be a powerful witch at the head of the Brigmore Witches covent, at the Brigmore Manor outside the Dunwall quarantine zone. While waiting for his newly appointed right hand man Thomas to return with more informations, he dreams of his confrontation with the "masked felon" roaming the streets of Dunwall, which he believes to be Corvo Attano seeking revenge over his disgrace. In low chaos Corvo will appear calm, neutralizing two of Daud's men before the latter invite the former Royal Protector to confront him for his honor. The duel can result with one's victory or the other. In high chaos, Corvo will execute the two assassins, and brutally engage Daud after the latter mocks him over the Empress' death. Corvo will fight harder, and the duel can only result in his victory over Daud. Awaking from his dream, Daud learns from Thomas that their best way to reach Brigmore Manor is with the aid of the Dead Eels gang leader and smuggler Lizzy Stride. However Lizzy is currently detained at Coldridge Prison due to the betrayal of her second, Edgar Wakefield. After freeing her, Lizzy offers Daud to help him pass through the quarantine blockade of Dunwall and navigate to Brigmore Manor to the condition that he helps her restore her leadership over the Dead Eels and recover her flagship, the Undine. Daud travels to Drapers Ward where the Dead Eels and Hatters gangs have been fighting over for their territories. His first task is to deal with the current and contested leader of the Dead Eels, Lizzy's former second Edgar. Once Lizzy's leadership restored, Daud has to recover the Undine's critical engine part, which is used by the Hatters to power the Textile Mill. If Daud makes a deal with the Hatters' leader Mortimer Hat and his nurse William Trimble, he will be sent to the sewers to repair the Water Control Station and bring the river back to the Mill. However, he will run through an ambush set by Delilah's witches, learning more about them in the process. After repairing the Undine's engine, Lizzy Stride takes Daud and his men to the Brigmore estate. When he arrives at the manor, Daud realizes that Delilah is plotting to use a powerful ritual to steal Emily Kaldwin's body and rule in her place as Empress. In response, he pursues Delilah into the Void and end her plans, either by eliminating her or by trapping her in the Void through her own ritual, protecting the child he once abducted and saving Dunwall from an ill-fated future. ''Dishonored'': The Flooded District While Dishonored runs concurrently with the events of The Knife of Dunwall and The Brigmore Witches, the mission The Flooded District falls between Daud's elimination of Delilah, and this last story's epilogue. Discovering a poisoned Corvo Attano adrift in the Flooded District, Daud confiscates his gear and orders his men to place Corvo in confinement, awaiting delivery to Farley Havelock in exchange for a large bounty, both for the capture of the escaped "assassin of the Empress" and of the "masked felon." Corvo escapes soon after, and one of Daud's men appears to inform him of the break-out. Daud correctly surmises that Corvo is bound for the Commerce Building to confront him, and waits for the man's arrival, recording an audiograph castigating Hiram Burrows and lamenting his own part in the murder of the Empress. Daud's reaction to Corvo's arrival varies based on Corvo's chaos: in low chaos, Daud uses Stop Time on his men and orders them not to interfere while he and Corvo duel. In high chaos, Daud allows his men to assist him in battle to take down Corvo at any cost. Daud is ultimately defeated, and makes a plea for his life. Epilogue Daud muses on the events that transpired during his pursuit of Delilah, noting that "our choices always matter to someone, somewhere," and that people must live with the consequences of their decisions. This conclusion leads him to surrender to the mercy of Corvo Attano, who acts in accordance with Daud's chaos at the end of The Brigmore Witches, either killing or sparing him. If Daud is spared, he can be seen placing his sword at the tomb of the Empress after the end of the credits. If Daud is killed, his body is cremated on a boat on the Wrenhaven River--if Daud spared Bille at the end of The Knife of Dunwall, she will be there as well, looking on. Trivia *Daud is voiced by Michael Madsen. **Daud's personality and outlook are strikingly similar to Michael Madsen's character in the Kill Bill films, Budd. *According to the official guidebook, "Ego homini Lupus" ("I am a Wolf to man") is his motto. *As with all other assassination targets, if Corvo decides to murder Daud with his sword, a special animation plays in which Corvo grabs Daud, slits his throat, then throws him to the right as he dies. ** In The Brigmore Witches, however, Corvo will throw Daud frontally over the wall rather than into the hole to the right. *Daud is resistant or immune to the majority of Corvo's offensive powers and gadgets. *Wanted posters for Daud feature a picture of a regular assassin rather than Daud, yet throughout The Knife of Dunwall, various civilians will recognize Daud instantly. **Jerome in The Brigmore Witches ''similarly notes that he recognizes Daud from his wanted posters. *Even though Daud does not have a mask he can still zoom in and out. *Daud is also referred to as "The Knife of Dunwall" by Abigail Ames, Nurse Trimble, and in the book The Knife of Dunwall, A Survivor's Tale. *Daud is one of the few individuals outside the Loyalist Conspiracy to know the identity of the Masked Felon; the other three are Griff, Slackjaw, and Hiram Burrows. *In the German, Russian, and Italian translations of ''The Brigmore Witches, Daud says that he moved from Serkonos to Dunwall at the age of 16. *Daud's plea to Corvo varies between Dishonored and The Brigmore Witches, with the former being substantially longer. *Though he can use a pistol during the course of gameplay, Daud never acquires upgrades for the weapon. Gallery KoD-Daud.png|Daud in The Knife of Dunwall. Dishonored-DaudMenuPortrait.jpg|Objective Menu Portrait. Daud the Knife of Dunwall menu.jpg|Daud in the Knife of Dunwall menu. Daud.jpg|Daud close-up. DaudMurderEmpress.jpg|Daud murdering the Empress. Daudmurder.jpg|Daud as seen by Corvo after the Empress' murder. Daud.png|Daud in the Flooded District. daud001.png|Daud with Corvo's equipment. Daudcigarette.jpg|Daud smoking a cigarette. Screens02 daud.png|Daud records an audiograph. Daud Audiograph.png|Daud next to his audiograph player. Screens02 daud7.png|Daud and his assassins fight Corvo. Screens02 daud6.png|Daud stops time to fight Corvo alone. DaudHighChaos.png|Daud atop a pile of corpses. daudandcorvo.png|Daud and Corvo, portrayed during the conclusion of The Knife of Dunwall. daud01.png|Daud places his sword on the murdered Empress's gravestone in The Brigmore Witches. Daud's Deth.png|A deceased Daud being cremated. dishonoredknifeofdunwall530.jpg|Daud from The Knife of Dunwall. DIS DLC3 MP FINAL 03.jpg|Daud with Delilah in The Brigmore Witches promotional material. Daud x.png|Daud's tarot card in the Special Edition Tarot Deck. Tarot06.jpg|Daud's tarot card in the Dishonored Game of the Year Edition Tarot Deck. Artistic Renditions wanted_poster_02_d.jpg|A wanted poster of Daud. Daud and the Parabola of the Lost Seasons.png|A painting of Daud by Anton Sokolov. Whaler.jpg|Delilah Copperspoon's painting of Daud. References ru:Дауд Category:Characters Category:Male Characters Category:Assassination Targets Category:Enemies Category:Knife of Dunwall Category:The Brigmore Witches Category:Supernatural Category:Gangs Category:Major Characters